This disclosure relates to automatic coffee makers for home use including coffee makers that are built into a wall of a dwelling, recreational structure or vehicle. This disclosure also relates to self-filling home and commercial coffee makers.
Even though coffee makers are commonly found and used in homes and businesses throughout the world, these coffee makers still have potential problems that can cause minor or major headaches for the consumer.
One common problem with coffee makers is a lack of precise control of the temperature of the water brewing the coffee beans. Most coffee makers simply boil water in a reservoir to heat the water and produce enough pressure and/or steam to force the water into the brewing area. For optimal taste, however, coffee beans should ideally be brewed at a temperature of between about 195-205° F. which is below the boiling temperature of water. The Specialty Coffee Association of America considers this water temperature range to be an essential element of properly brewing great coffee.
Another problem is the overflow of water in the brewing basket when a coffee pot is removed during the middle of the brewing process. Commonly found pause-and-serve valves located on the brewing basket prevent coffee from being dispensed from the brewing basket when a coffee pot is removed. The pause-and-serve valve, however, does not stop water from continuing to enter the brewing basket and thus a messy overflow of the basket can still occur.
Another problem can occur with coffee makers located beneath cabinets or other structures when excess steam escapes the brewing area during the brewing process. Continued exposure of this excess steam can result in heat and/or moisture damage to the overlying cabinets or other structures. This problem can be prevalent with in-wall coffee makers as it is a popular choice to locate an in-wall coffee maker off of a counter and below a cabinet to conserve kitchen space.
Using coffee makers in unstable environments such as recreational vehicles (RVs) and boats can present yet another problem. The coffee pot can potentially fall out of the coffee maker either during the brewing process or after the brewing process when the coffee pot contains hot, messy coffee.
Coffee makers utilizing dedicated water supplies, such as can be used with in-wall coffee makers, can be damaged if the water pressure drops too low and the coffee maker continues to attempt a brewing process. The low pressure can drastically reduce the amount of water in the coffee maker which can result at least in a poor batch of coffee and possibly even permanent damage to the coffee maker or its components.
Water-supplied coffee makers (and other appliances utilizing dedicated water supplies) also need a clean supply of water to ensure the coffee maker (or other appliance) does not get clogged with small bits of debris which could damage the coffee maker (or other appliance). Currently bulky, expensive and sometimes hard to reach filters are used to filter out particulate matter if a filter is used at all.
A problem particular to in-wall coffee makers is the potential damage from a leaky coffee maker. With the coffee maker installed in a wall cavity, any water leaking from a faulty coffee maker could make its way into the wall causing hard to reach water damage.
It is desirable to solve these problems for coffee makers, in-wall coffee makers and other appliances.